H. E. Msgr. Gintaras Grušas
H. E. Msgr. Gintaras Grušas, Archbishop of Vilnius (Lithuania), was born 23 September 1961 in Washington, D.C. (USA). He grew up in a Lithuanian family. Between 1983 and 1987 he was Chairman of the World Lithuanian Youth union and a member of the board of World Lithuanian community.
Before entering the seminary, he graduated in mathematics and informatics from the Californian university in Los Angeles (UCLA). He worked for the IBM Corporation. He initiated spiritual studies at the Franciscan university of Steubenville, Ohio.
On 25 June 1994 he was ordained by archbishop A. J. Bačkis and elected to the office of General secretary of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference. In 1997, he continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical university of St. Thomas Aquinas, and successfully defended his doctoral thesis in canon law in 2001. From 2001 to 2003 Msgr. Grušas was the rector of the Seminary of St. Joseph in Vilnius. While being rector, he also taught canon law to its students. Between 2002 and 2013, he was also the General secretary of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference.
For many years Msgr. G. Grušas was a member of the Council of priests and the College of consultors of the Archdiocese of Vilnius. He was also chairing a Commission for the preparation of the Lithuanian translation of the Code of canon law. Since 2006 Msgr. G. Grušas is a Spiritual director of the Ateitininkai Federation. Member of the Supervisory council of the Pontifical Lithuanian college of St. Casimir. Chairman of the board of Katalikų pasaulio leidiniai publishing house. Vicechairman of the Lietuvių katalikų religinė šalpa.
On 2 July 2010, Msgr. G. Grušas was appointed the Ordinary of the Lithuanian armed forces by Pope Benedict XVI. On 4 September 2010, he was consecrated at the Archcathedral of Vilnius.
On 5 April 2013, he was appointed Metropolitan archbishop of Vilnius by Pope Francis. On 23 April 2013, His Excellence assumed a canonical possession of the Archdiocese of Vilnius.
On 28 October 2014, archbishop G. Grušas was elected President of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference.
On 20 November 2017, he was also elected the chairman of the Commission for Media of social communication for the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference.
On 25 September 2021, archbishop G. Grušas was elected President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE).